FLINT, MI — A first-of-a-kind partnership between Kettering University and BAUHOUSE, a Flint streetwear and sneaker store, has plans to teach students how to merge the industries of fashion and technology.
The pilot program called STEM Fashion: Blending Tech and Streetwear will feature a handful of students from the university who were seeking an opportunity to break into the fashion space outside of their co-ops and university studies.
Students will be empowered to explore their passion for fashion, art and design by driving innovation through technology in the streetwear/retail industry in the following areas: augmented reality, sustainability and 3D modeling.
Sophomore Ethan Arun told MLive-The Flint Journal he plans to approach this partnership with the same drive and focus as a co-op experience.
Kettering University students graduate with roughly two years of full-time work experience through co-op partnerships.
Students will be mentored by BAU-HŌUSE owners Lee Grant Allen and Antonio Forte II throughout the process.
Related: BAU-HOUSE brings sneakers, streetwear and artists together at new downtown Flint business
Senior Aaron Saijan was attracted to the program from the entrepreneurial aspect, noting Allen and Forte are business owners in the city.
“I’ve always had kind of an entrepreneurial mind, so seeing someone like Lee start BAUHOUSE and see how I can get involved in that helps me understand how it would be for me if I were to start something in the future,” Saijan said.
Students are hoping this program will help them prepare for the next big boom in technology with artificial intelligence in fashion and retail.
“We’ve really just seen it in the automotive industry and our phones and laptops,” Sophomore Andrew Ricard said. “We haven’t seen (the new technology) touch fashion and streetwear. It would be cool to start exploring that.”
Venetia Petteway, Kettering University’s Director of STEM Diversity Initiative, spoke highly of the partnership in its inaugural stage.
“It’s a wonderful venture for Kettering students to get involved with BAU-HOUSE and explore a new business industry within the Flint community,” Petteway wrote in a statement. “This new club on campus will provide a chance to engage students’ creative ability, technical prowess, their love for fashion and fun, while hearing and learning from some neat local and statewide talent.”
This is one of two partnerships BAU-HŌUSE operates with Michigan colleges.
The business has a college preparedness program for up-and-coming designers in partnership with Pensole Lewis College, an HBCU in Detroit.
Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free “3@3 Flint” daily newsletter.
If you would like more reporting like this delivered free to your inbox, click here and signup for our weekly newsletter: Michigan Schools.
Read more at The Flint Journal:
Crash on I-475 in Flint leaves two dead, one in critical condition
One of Flint’s oldest school buildings demolished
Flint Township Police Department to receive $140K federal grant for equipment
Jelly Roll to perform for Genesee County inmates in December